Paul brings the grand opening Statement of Ephesians to a conclusion with the following. He has just told of the Holy Spirit, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory—Ephesians 1:14.
The Holy Spirit placed a seal upon us after we believed. We see above that what He did was the earnest of our inheritance. The word earnest in this above verse is from the Greek arraboń which means a guarantee. Some have translated the word as our “down payment.” There is, in fact, no payment made to us. So I think this is not the best understanding of the word. It is better to think of it as meaning that the Holy Spirit is the guarantee given to us by God that our salvation is real even now. We shall come to a full redemption in the age to come.
See Ephesians 4:30—And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. This means, “Don’t let your life be an occasion of grief or sorrow for God’s Spirit.” The word grieve is from the Greek lupéo which means to bring distress, or vexation, or pain to someone. As we proceed through the following days, we will deal with some matters that may still work in a believer and cause grief to the Holy Spirit. Since He dwells in us, matters of grief to Him may arise from things hidden in us. They may be things never known to those around us—until they eventually work their way to the surface of our lives. And this they are most likely to do.
FATHER, please cause Your Spirit to keep a constant watch over my spirit. I’ve seen in the past that I could easily open myself to some unclean spirit. Please don’t let me become so weary, or discouraged, or upset that I let the door become open to anything that will grieve You. I want nothing in me that will disqualify me for function in Your Kingdom.